I've made this thread several time, but here it is again. I'm seriously going to buy an amp soon...

Anyway, I'm looking for an amp that really cuts but still has solid low end. There are 4 I'm interested in:

Ashdown Lil' Mark - If I can get the money together from eBay sales
Hartke LH500
Ashdown ABM
Ashdown MAG - If I get hardly any money together

I'm not sure about cab size, I'd rather go with a 2x12 for size. I actually don't like tons of booming low end, I've always gone for a clearer more fusion like tone. So maybe I don't need the extra bottom from a 4x12?

Then there's the whole wattage thing, anything over 400 feels like it would be overkill. I'm not going to be playing massive venues, and I want to be able to use it at home (even if it is with the volume on 1.) So would a 300 - 400 watt amp be fine?

Or should I just go with a combo? Heavier to carry than head and cab separately but maybe better suited for my needs? I don't know.

Looking to spend between £400 - £700 on the amp and the cab. Used. Reliability is an absolute must! I'll be semi pro hopefully this coming year.

I've made this thread several time, but here it is again. I'm seriously going to buy an amp soon...

Anyway, I'm looking for an amp that really cuts but still has solid low end. There are 4 I'm interested in:

Ashdown Lil' Mark - If I can get the money together from eBay sales
Hartke LH500
Ashdown ABM
Ashdown MAG - If I get hardly any money together

I'm not sure about cab size, I'd rather go with a 2x12 for size. I actually don't like tons of booming low end, I've always gone for a clearer more fusion like tone. So maybe I don't need the extra bottom from a 4x12?

Then there's the whole wattage thing, anything over 400 feels like it would be overkill. I'm not going to be playing massive venues, and I want to be able to use it at home (even if it is with the volume on 1.) So would a 300 - 400 watt amp be fine?

Or should I just go with a combo? Heavier to carry than head and cab separately but maybe better suited for my needs? I don't know.

Looking to spend between £400 - £700 on the amp and the cab. Used. Reliability is an absolute must! I'll be semi pro hopefully this coming year.

Well, My rig consists in a HArtke HA3500 and a GK MB212, and i can say that it has plenty of volume, at least i used it with the master knob at 4, without going through the PA in a 350 people closed gig. I also use the same amp as practice amp, since it's the only one i have. 212 is a great type of cab, cause it ain't huge, but still delivers efficiently. I particularly recommend you to get the same cab i have, cause it's been discontinued, but it wheigs only 15K (like 32 pounds, i think) and it has very efficient speakers (102 dbs, i think). NEOs are great. I think ,they aren't expensive in USA.

As far as heads, i could only try the hartke you mentioned, so i can't really help you there... But if you can get a portable cab, i'd definetly look for a portable head too.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by FatalGear41

When you break a bass string, that snapping sound is the sound of six dollars going down the crapper.

The wattage shouldn't be an issue if you're looking at 300W+. Don't worry about it being overkill, firstly remember that volume doubles with 10x the wattage so it looks like it will be louder than it is. Also remember that with 1 8 ohm cab most of the ones there that are 500W at 4 ohms are only ~350W at 8 ohms. That's one of the great parts about head/cab rigs, if you start with an amp that's loud enough at 8 ohms, then if you ever need more for some reason you can just get a second cab and unlock the extra wattage.

The MAG is alright as a budget amp, but I wouldn't be wanting it as a working amp except maybe as a backup. The ABM and Lil' Mark I don't know much about. The Hartke is a lovely amp, I love the tone I got through it when I tried one out for a while. It's pretty simple, not to many fancy features just good tone.

For cabs, I love the tone of the Hartke HyDrives. Between speaker sizes I'd say there isn't much difference in sound (at least with those cabs) but the half aluminium cone adds some nice clarity and brightness to the sound. I'd start maybe with a 1x15", then eventually when you need/want more go pick up a second.

I'm going to suggest the Hartke, they make some good kit. Ashdown have little versatility in my experience. They have a big tonal footprint (they always sound like Ashdown) which can be a good thing with other brands, but the last thing I'd want for my sound is the Ashdown sound.

That will be plenty of power. You shouldn't ever need more than a 2x12 if it's well designed and using good quality components. My Barefaced 2x12 can make your feet hurt just for being stood near it, and that's still nowhere near as loud as it'll go (I'd be too frightened to try that).

There are many falacys about amps and speakers regarding suitability for particular genres of music.
Most opinions are I suspect are from people who play a limited amount of genres of music.
Of all the modern amps I've tried the only two that really unimpressed me was Ampeg which I was loaned whilst my own amp was away for repairs and the Orange AD200 I tried.
Regarding Ashdown I've been using them since shortly after production commenced following a phone conversation with Mark Gooday my first model being the ABM 500 head.
Down the years I've used umpteen brands from little 8 watt Watkins, Vox AC30s, Dynachord and WEM in the 60s and I still maintain that my mid late 70s Orange graphic 120 was the best.
I currently use an Ashdown RPM1 pre amp and an Ashdown Little Giant 1000.
The RPM1 preamp has the added feature of a variable crossover for biamping over the ABM series amps.